Lemonade

Monday 1st October 2012

Diver is a sensual, bold electronic record, swimming ecstatically in the melodies of early 90′s R&B, UK 2-step Garage, Balearic house and NY freestyle. The trio, Callan Clendenin (vocals), Ben Steidel (synths, bass) and Alex Pasternak (drums, programming) recorded the album over the course of several years, at home in New York, on tour in Brazil between shows, or in their practice space in the basement of an old Catholic school. Ultimately, the album came to life when the band recruited producer Le Chev (Frankie Rose, Fischerspooner, SSION) to add the finishing touches and assist in fully realizing the band’s vision of Diver.

The music that Mary Anne Hobbs once called “pure, agile, hedonistic pop music,” is still there, but in an infinitely more potent and focused form. Callan’s lyricism reaches new intimate lows and ecstatic highs. Where Lemonade used to seek transcendence through psychedelic dance-floor physicality, Callan now looks inward, at the emotions of limited means, the urban everyday, and his attempts to hold on to redemptive love and romance in a cybernetic, information-rich world. Lemonade reference PM Dawn and Sade in the same sentence as Julio Bashmore and Swedish House Mafia. They are sounds of the past synthesized with contemporary dance music boueyed by the most immediate matters of the heart.

“Neptune”, the first taste from Diver, is a case in point. It’s a pure and emotional R&B track, an instant and surprising classic. The single will be released next month with remixes from Mike Simonetti, Jacques Renault, and Sinjin Hawke. Stay tuned for more info.